Balance Beads

Bruce Hart

Active member
Oct 18, 2011
1,414
6
38
I had to replace the two rear passenger side tires due to a bent bogie. With less than 10,000 miles on Michelin M/S. One of the tires had balance
beads (Airsoft Ammo) in it. After throwing the tire around a bit I noticed that there were a few beads left in the tire. What I didn't expect was they
were still round put they were different in diameter.

2 @ .238
1 @ .205
1 @ .198
1 @ .175
1 @ .164

Apparently they wore down as they rotated inside the tire.
Has anyone else experienced this?

I will have to check on the drivers side tire with the beads in it to determine if those beads have worn down as well.
--
Bruce Hart
1976 Palm Beach
Milliken, Co
 
If someone can explain to me how those are supposed to work, I'm all ears. Until then I'll stick with my spin balance machine. Seems like when clothes
are out of balance in spin cycle they don't shift and self balance but go to the most out of balanced side until the tilt switch is tripped.
--
John Lebetski
Woodstock, IL
77 Eleganza II
 
Elfin magic? I've wondered the same thing. Along with gryoscopic
stabilizers.
Jim Hupy
Salem, Or
78 GMC ROYALE 403

If someone can explain to me how those are supposed to work, I'm all ears.
Until then I'll stick with my spin balance machine. Seems like when clothes
are out of balance in spin cycle they don't shift and self balance but go
to the most out of balanced side until the tilt switch is tripped.
--
John Lebetski
Woodstock, IL
77 Eleganza II

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John,

I too was skeptical as I didn't understand how the worked, however, they do
and at the end of the day "the proof is in the pudding."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eq263AYgyYg

Regards,
Rob M.
The Pedantic Mechanic
USAussie - Downunder
AUS '75 Avion - The Blue Streak TZE365V100428
USA '75 Avion - Double Trouble TZE365V100426
USA '77 Kingsley - TZE 267V100808


-----Original Message-----
From: Gmclist [mailto:gmclist-bounces] On Behalf Of John R.
Lebetski
Sent: Friday, March 17, 2017 1:42 PM
To: gmclist
Subject: Re: [GMCnet] Balance Beads

If someone can explain to me how those are supposed to work, I'm all ears.
Until then I'll stick with my spin balance machine. Seems like when clothes
are out of balance in spin cycle they don't shift and self balance but go to
the most out of balanced side until the tilt switch is tripped.
--
John Lebetski
Woodstock, IL
77 Eleganza II

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John,

I can't do it myself, but 'way back in the '70's one of my math professors
did a mathematical analysis which convinced me. Now, I must admit that it
was so involved that he could have been blowing smoke without me
recognizing it. But, I've been using them for quite a few years now and
find them very effective. Counteract, Equal, and now Airsoft beads have
all worked equally well -- 4 oz. each in 225-75x16's.

Ken H.

On Thu, Mar 16, 2017 at 10:41 PM, John R. Lebetski
wrote:

> If someone can explain to me how those are supposed to work, I'm all ears.
> Until then I'll stick with my spin balance machine. Seems like when clothes
> are out of balance in spin cycle they don't shift and self balance but go
> to the most out of balanced side until the tilt switch is tripped.
> --
 
I have used them for about 10 years in all kinds of vehicles and trailers. The last time I had a new tire mounted at Walmart the guy looked at me a
said, where are the beads? I had forgotten to bring them so we went to the sporting goods area and got a fresh batch. He found a scale somewhere in
the store and we measured out 4 oz. of them.

I have them here at home pre-measured in 4oz. ziplock bags.

Most of my vehicles and trailers take 4 oz. A few smaller tires use 3.5 oz. You can look up your tires size on the internet to find out exactly how
to use. Standard GMC's take 4oz.

I started out using Commercial ones that were supplied to me for free by a mechanic at our local gas and electric utility. That is all they use in
all of their vehicles from cars up to their largest trucks. Later on I switched to High Density air soft beads at John Shotwell's recommendation.
Colonel Ken also uses them in his GMC.
--
Ken Burton - N9KB
76 Palm Beach
Hebron, Indiana
 
> If someone can explain to me how those are supposed to work, I'm all ears. Until then I'll stick with my spin balance machine. Seems like when
> clothes are out of balance in spin cycle they don't shift and self balance but go to the most out of balanced side until the tilt switch is tripped.

John,

I actually can explain it. The beads or what ever want to roll, bounce, dance or whatall away from the excitement and drama to the lowest energy
place they can find. (Remind you of some people you know?). When a rotating element is eccentric, the larger radius is the higher energy. So, the
beads go down hill to the low energy area. When they get there, they stay put unless you give them a reason to move.

Why doesn't this work in a washing machine?
Well, it does until enough water drains out of the tub to loose the weight to the laundry. Since cloths don't flow, the imbalance remains.

Would water do as well as the beads? Yes and no....
When I worked in a development lab with a senior engineer that was genius level, he often came up with ideas. I had a tire that was out of balance
and he came to my office and explained at great length why putting water in that tire would fix it. Of course, my question was,"If this is so easy,
why doesn't every body do it?"
Well, we did and I found the two reasons why not to use water.

The immediate reason was that during testing, I hit a pothole. This is not hard to do in Michigan in the spring. I guess it splashed the water all
over inside the tire and it was now profoundly out of balance. I actually had to stop the car both to exhale and let the water regroup. (Then I had
to invent a way to get the water out of the tire.)
A second issue was that some time later that wheel began a rim leak that got more serious fast. I had to dismount the tire (and dry the inside) then
wire brush and paint the rim because it was badly corroded.

So, all the beads or pellets have to go is go down hill and the plan works. Yes, I could write equations all over a blackboard to explain this, but I
think if you understand going down the hill, you have most of it. What I kind of have to throw in here is the little fact that there really is no
such thing as centrifugal force. The force you feel pulling on the string of a weight you are spinning is not actually pulling straight away from the
center (your hand) it is merely the force required to keep the mass circling when it really wants to go in a straight line (away in a tangent to the
circle the string is forcing on it). This is the true motive power to move the beads down the "hill".

I hope this helps.

Matt
--
Matt & Mary Colie - '73 Glacier 23 - Members GMCMI, GMCGL, GMCES
Still Loving OE Rear Drum Brakes with Applied Control Arms
SE Michigan - Twixt A2 and Detroit
 
Got a mileage tracker ad on the link. So these things remain free rolling throughout the life of the tire? Wear? So at ever stop light they settle
to the bottom? Then redistribute at a certain speed? Do you get imbalance till that happens? (4 oz of imbalance is a lot to correct. At 2 oz of
weight required in spin balancing I would consider remounting the tire 180.). "Not saying they don't work, but don't understand how they do work" (to
quote in Rick Denney speak, props)
--
John Lebetski
Woodstock, IL
77 Eleganza II
 
John,

Yes, the beads, especially Airsoft, do tend to "drop to the bottom" during
stops, causing momentary imbalance when rotating again. But the correction
is almost instantaneous -- if they're free enough to fall, they're free
enough to redistribute. One of the claimed advantages of the smaller
commercial beads, such as Counteract, is that they cling to their
distributed positions during stops.

It's not a problem.

Ken H.

On Fri, Mar 17, 2017 at 10:07 AM, John R. Lebetski
wrote:

> Got a mileage tracker ad on the link. So these things remain free rolling
> throughout the life of the tire? Wear? So at ever stop light they settle
> to the bottom? Then redistribute at a certain speed? Do you get
> imbalance till that happens? (4 oz of imbalance is a lot to correct. At 2
> oz of
> weight required in spin balancing I would consider remounting the tire
> 180.). "Not saying they don't work, but don't understand how they do work"
> (to
> quote in Rick Denney speak, props)
> --
> John Lebetski
> Woodstock, IL
> 77 Eleganza II
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
>
 
Since I have so many dang tires, and I'm never satisfied witht he crappy balance jobs local shops do, I am seriously considering buying a HF manual tire changer and just doing it myself using airsoft beads to do the balancing.

Anyone here think I'm crazy?

________________________________
From: Gmclist on behalf of Ken Henderson
Sent: Friday, March 17, 2017 9:44:35 AM
To: gmclist
Subject: Re: [GMCnet] Balance Beads

John,

Yes, the beads, especially Airsoft, do tend to "drop to the bottom" during
stops, causing momentary imbalance when rotating again. But the correction
is almost instantaneous -- if they're free enough to fall, they're free
enough to redistribute. One of the claimed advantages of the smaller
commercial beads, such as Counteract, is that they cling to their
distributed positions during stops.

It's not a problem.

Ken H.

On Fri, Mar 17, 2017 at 10:07 AM, John R. Lebetski
wrote:

> Got a mileage tracker ad on the link. So these things remain free rolling
> throughout the life of the tire? Wear? So at ever stop light they settle
> to the bottom? Then redistribute at a certain speed? Do you get
> imbalance till that happens? (4 oz of imbalance is a lot to correct. At 2
> oz of
> weight required in spin balancing I would consider remounting the tire
> 180.). "Not saying they don't work, but don't understand how they do work"
> (to
> quote in Rick Denney speak, props)
> --
> John Lebetski
> Woodstock, IL
> 77 Eleganza II
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
>
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I have no idea at what speed the air soft beads "kick in", however I have
run both Counteract (glass beads) and Equal (plastic beads) and haven't
noticed imbalance when starting from a stop. To put it another way the speed
at which it kicks cannot be felt by the seat of my pants. :-)

The amount you add is dictated by the tire size not imbalance, however, if
you have a tire that is 5 oz out of balance and you add 4 oz of compound
you're not going to get it balanced.

Regards,
Rob M.
The Pedantic Mechanic
USAussie - Downunder
AUS '75 Avion - The Blue Streak TZE365V100428
USA '75 Avion - Double Trouble TZE365V100426
USA '77 Kingsley - TZE 267V100808


-----Original Message-----
From: Gmclist [mailto:gmclist-bounces] On Behalf Of John R.
Lebetski
Sent: Saturday, March 18, 2017 1:07 AM
To: gmclist
Subject: Re: [GMCnet] Balance Beads

Got a mileage tracker ad on the link. So these things remain free rolling
throughout the life of the tire? Wear? So at ever stop light they settle
to the bottom? Then redistribute at a certain speed? Do you get imbalance
till that happens? (4 oz of imbalance is a lot to correct. At 2 oz of
weight required in spin balancing I would consider remounting the tire
180.). "Not saying they don't work, but don't understand how they do work"
(to
quote in Rick Denney speak, props)
--
John Lebetski
Woodstock, IL
77 Eleganza II

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Rob, the old school truckers put golf balls in their big truck tires. 3 is the fronts and 5 in the drive and trailer tires. Odd numbers only, not
even??

run both Counteract (glass beads) and Equal (plastic beads) and haven't
noticed imbalance when starting from a stop. To put it another way the speed
at which it kicks cannot be felt by the seat of my pants. :)

The amount you add is dictated by the tire size not imbalance, however, if
you have a tire that is 5 oz out of balance and you add 4 oz of compound
you're not going to get it balanced.

Regards,
Rob M.
The Pedantic Mechanic
USAussie - Downunder
AUS '75 Avion - The Blue Streak TZE365V100428
USA '75 Avion - Double Trouble TZE365V100426
USA '77 Kingsley - TZE 267V100808


-----Original Message-----
From: Gmclist [mailto:mailto:gmclist-bounces] On Behalf Of John R.
Lebetski
Sent: Saturday, March 18, 2017 1:07 AM
To: mailto:gmclist
Subject: Re: [GMCnet] Balance Beads

Got a mileage tracker ad on the link. So these things remain free rolling
throughout the life of the tire? Wear? So at ever stop light they settle
to the bottom? Then redistribute at a certain speed? Do you get imbalance
till that happens? (4 oz of imbalance is a lot to correct. At 2 oz of
weight required in spin balancing I would consider remounting the tire
180.). "Not saying they don't work, but don't understand how they do work"
(to
quote in Rick Denney speak, props)
--
John Lebetski
Woodstock, IL
77 Eleganza II

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Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org

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[/quote]

--
C. Boyd
76 Crestmont
East Tennessee
 
Since no tires are round and have eccentric tramp, my brain says they would be thrown to the area furtherest from the true center hub, If you think
about it that is rolling "downhill". That would make the heavy spot ( rotating weight further from center ) even heavier. Confused.
My 240V Computer spin machine has been fine for many years for home service duty. Of all my vehicles the TZE seems least in need of
rebalancing. Michelin LTX and Coopers so far. I have shyed from the manual tire changer tool though as I think that would like pig wrestling.
--
John Lebetski
Woodstock, IL
77 Eleganza II
 
Last edited by a moderator:
> ...The beads or what ever want to roll, bounce, dance or whatall away from the excitement and drama to the lowest energy place they can find.
> (Remind you of some people you know?). When a rotating element is eccentric, the larger radius is the higher energy. So, the beads go down hill to
> the low energy area. When they get there, they stay put unless you give them a reason to move.
> ...
> So, all the beads or pellets have to go is go down hill and the plan works. ...
Centrifugal force will dominate and make them try to get as far from the center as they can and they will move TO the larger radius instead of away
from it. Making a bad situation worse.

If there isn't a larger radius, they would evenly distribute and still accomplish nothing.

They don't behave that way, and that's why it doesn't make sense to anybody. So the only possible explanation is supernatural black magic. Accept it
and move on.
--
73 23' Sequoia 4 Sale
73 23' CanyonLands Parts Unit 4 Sale
Upper Alabama
"When I grow up I am going to be a curmudgeon."
 
If you want to buy them commercially, Equal, Counteract, and Dyna seem to be the major ones. I have used Equal and Airsoft. Ken H. has used
Counteract. John Shotwell has used Airsoft. They all seem to work equally well.


--
Ken Burton - N9KB
76 Palm Beach
Hebron, Indiana
 
>>
> Centrifugal force will dominate and make them try to get as far from the center as they can and they will move TO the larger radius instead of away
> from it. Making a bad situation worse.
>
> If there isn't a larger radius, they would evenly distribute and still accomplish nothing.
>
> They don't behave that way, and that's why it doesn't make sense to anybody. So the only possible explanation is supernatural black magic. Accept it
> and move on.
>
Here is as good an explanation as I can come up with. I have checked several sites on the Internet to validate this:

Short of a mathematical proof, the concept is valid -- the beads dynamically distribute mass to align the center of mass with the geometric center of rotation. Centrifugal force is not the cause of the balancing as we would normally assume.

The following time steps are involved.

1. Tire at Rest: The beads rest on the tire floor due to gravity.

2. Tire in Motion: The beads distribute uniformly by friction as the tire begins to rotate, where they are held in place by centrifugal force (F=mv2rF=mv2r), acting perpendicular to the tire wall. Note that beads would remain in this state for a perfectly balanced tire. For completeness, gravity still acts on the beads but is small relative to centrifugal forces.

3. Heavy Spots in Tire: In this time step it is important to remember that the vehicle's suspension allows the wheel assembly to move vertically- Upward motion is resisted by the car's suspension (spring) while downward motion is assisted by the suspension (spring) and resisted by tire pressure against the roadbed. As the 'heavy spots' in the tire are rotated at higher velocities, their centrifugal (inertial) forces physically move the tire up and down- poorly balanced tires can literally cause 'wheel hop'! As the tire moves (up and down), the beads, with their own masses resisting motion, do not move rigidly with the tire's translation; they move relative to the tire. Note that without vertical movements, only centrifugal forces act on the beads and they maintain their new position on the tire wall.

Imagine a bead when the tire moves up (ie. the 'heavy spot' on top)- Reversed when the tire moves down (ie. 'heavy spot' on bottom):

At the top: As the tire moves up, the bead does not. No longer guided by the tire wall it maintains its tangential velocity until it reestablishes contact at a new tire wall location, further from the imbalance.

At the bottom: As the tire moves up, the bead is lifted with the tire and does not change its location in the tire wall.

On a side between top and bottom: As the tire moves up, the bead rolls down the tire, changing its relative location in the tire wall further from the imbalance.

4. Reduced Tire Oscillations: Each oscillation (tire movement, up and down) moves the beads progressively further from the imbalance ('heavy spot'), reducing the imbalance. Therefore, the tire becomes more balanced each oscillation until the tire is balanced.

5. No Tire Vibration: The beads are held by centrifugal force in their balanced state. Because no imbalance exists, there are no vertical movements of the tire to disrupt their positions.

However, there are practical considerations worth mentioning.

Because the beads are free-floating (unlike mounted weights), accelerations create transient imbalance. For example, until the beads are distributed, their mass actively contributes to wheel imbalance. Similarly, road bumps, braking or driving accelerations will disrupt the equilibrium state. In most cases it really doesn’t take long for the beads in the tire to balance itself.

Because the mass is distributed furthest from the center of rotation, more force is required to accelerate the wheel assembly, resulting in decreased fuel efficiency (this is probably not measurable in our case). This effect is magnified by larger diameter tires. Additionally, more mass is required to balance the larger tire mass. (So, larger tires require more beads)

Note: Tire balancing machines do not validate this method because they have a fixed axis, unlike the axis on a vehicle that moves. Without movement, the beads gather at the 'heavy spot'. To accurately measure the effect, the machine must allow movement.

While tire balancing beads are a valid method to correct imbalance, their effectiveness depends on speed, tire size, and driving accelerations.

Beads will not reduce “shimmy” or side to side movement of the tire.

Emery Stora
77 Kingsley
Frederick, CO
 
I put new tires on last year and used beads in each tire, the coach
drives as smooth as can be.

>

>>>
>> Centrifugal force will dominate and make them try to get as far from the center as they can and they will move TO the larger radius instead of away
>> from it. Making a bad situation worse.
>>
>> If there isn't a larger radius, they would evenly distribute and still accomplish nothing.
>>
>> They don't behave that way, and that's why it doesn't make sense to anybody. So the only possible explanation is supernatural black magic. Accept it
>> and move on.
>>
> Here is as good an explanation as I can come up with. I have checked several sites on the Internet to validate this:
>
> Short of a mathematical proof, the concept is valid -- the beads dynamically distribute mass to align the center of mass with the geometric center of rotation. Centrifugal force is not the cause of the balancing as we would normally assume.
>
> The following time steps are involved.
>
> 1. Tire at Rest: The beads rest on the tire floor due to gravity.
>
> 2. Tire in Motion: The beads distribute uniformly by friction as the tire begins to rotate, where they are held in place by centrifugal force (F=mv2rF=mv2r), acting perpendicular to the tire wall. Note that beads would remain in this state for a perfectly balanced tire. For completeness, gravity still acts on the beads but is small relative to centrifugal forces.
>
> 3. Heavy Spots in Tire: In this time step it is important to remember that the vehicle's suspension allows the wheel assembly to move vertically- Upward motion is resisted by the car's suspension (spring) while downward motion is assisted by the suspension (spring) and resisted by tire pressure against the roadbed. As the 'heavy spots' in the tire are rotated at higher velocities, their centrifugal (inertial) forces physically move the tire up and down- poorly balanced tires can literally cause 'wheel hop'! As the tire moves (up and down), the beads, with their own masses resisting motion, do not move rigidly with the tire's translation; they move relative to the tire. Note that without vertical movements, only centrifugal forces act on the beads and they maintain their new position on the tire wall.
>
> Imagine a bead when the tire moves up (ie. the 'heavy spot' on top)- Reversed when the tire moves down (ie. 'heavy spot' on bottom):
>
> At the top: As the tire moves up, the bead does not. No longer guided by the tire wall it maintains its tangential velocity until it reestablishes contact at a new tire wall location, further from the imbalance.
>
> At the bottom: As the tire moves up, the bead is lifted with the tire and does not change its location in the tire wall.
>
> On a side between top and bottom: As the tire moves up, the bead rolls down the tire, changing its relative location in the tire wall further from the imbalance.
>
> 4. Reduced Tire Oscillations: Each oscillation (tire movement, up and down) moves the beads progressively further from the imbalance ('heavy spot'), reducing the imbalance. Therefore, the tire becomes more balanced each oscillation until the tire is balanced.
>
> 5. No Tire Vibration: The beads are held by centrifugal force in their balanced state. Because no imbalance exists, there are no vertical movements of the tire to disrupt their positions.
>
> However, there are practical considerations worth mentioning.
>
> Because the beads are free-floating (unlike mounted weights), accelerations create transient imbalance. For example, until the beads are distributed, their mass actively contributes to wheel imbalance. Similarly, road bumps, braking or driving accelerations will disrupt the equilibrium state. In most cases it really doesn’t take long for the beads in the tire to balance itself.
>
> Because the mass is distributed furthest from the center of rotation, more force is required to accelerate the wheel assembly, resulting in decreased fuel efficiency (this is probably not measurable in our case). This effect is magnified by larger diameter tires. Additionally, more mass is required to balance the larger tire mass. (So, larger tires require more beads)
>
> Note: Tire balancing machines do not validate this method because they have a fixed axis, unlike the axis on a vehicle that moves. Without movement, the beads gather at the 'heavy spot'. To accurately measure the effect, the machine must allow movement.
>
> While tire balancing beads are a valid method to correct imbalance, their effectiveness depends on speed, tire size, and driving accelerations.
>
> Beads will not reduce “shimmy” or side to side movement of the tire.
>
> Emery Stora
> 77 Kingsley
> Frederick, CO
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org

--
Ray Erspamer
78 Royale - "The Great Lakes Eagle"
Center Kitchen TZE368V101144
Wauwatosa, Wisconsin 53226
Email: 78GMCRoyale
414-484-9431
Web Site: http://ray-lisa.page.tl/
 
Thanks Emery. That helps me understand something very counter intuative. . I don't like the idea of hitting a road imperfection at 70 and having
temporary oscillation. Seems like the big 3 would be using these beads to save money on the balancing step and customer complaints. The beads cost
might be less than coated or sticky coated weights. But they don't use them. Also the lack of being able to trim out inner to outer imbalance is very
important. I could only see using them in one way. Spin balance to zero, then add 1oz or so via stem. That might act like a "fine trim" and 1 oz
can't cause violent shimmy or start up imbalance, but retain perfect balance longer.
--
John Lebetski
Woodstock, IL
77 Eleganza II
 
I have never used balance beads.
I have tires balanced using the adapter for the wheel stud holes. The center hole cone balanced don't work, especially with the thicker aluminum wheels.

I don't seem to have balance problems with wheel weights and they can correct for inside/outside out of balance which beads cannot.

Emery

>
> Thanks Emery. That helps me understand something very counter intuative. . I don't like the idea of hitting a road imperfection at 70 and having
> temporary oscillation. Seems like the big 3 would be using these beads to save money on the balancing step and customer complaints. The beads cost
> might be less than coated or sticky coated weights. But they don't use them. Also the lack of being able to trim out inner to outer imbalance is very
> important. I could only see using them in one way. Spin balance to zero, then add 1oz or so via stem. That might act like a "fine trim" and 1 oz
> can't cause violent shimmy or start up imbalance, but retain perfect balance longer.
> --
> John Lebetski
> Woodstock, IL
> 77 Eleganza II
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
 
Actually, in addition to the rotation of the tire, there is a vertical -
and just as important - component to this balancing. In a perfectly
balanced tire, the beads would distribute themselves evenly around the
inner circumference of the tire. When your tire is out of balance, it
will bounce vertically as the vehicle moves along the road. So, when a
heavy spot moves upward, the beads move downward. The oscillations will
get smaller while the beads shift until they provide counterbalance. Any
excess bead weight gets distributed evenly throughout the tire.

Inertia and friction will leave beads at the bottom when stopped but the
transition to a balanced state takes place very quickly, within seconds.

If it were as simple as rotational "high energy" and "low energy", all
the beads would clump together in the "low energy" area. An
out-of-balance tire doesn't necessarily mean it's eccentric in shape.

We use them in our motorcycles too - works great!

Dan in NC
1976 Eleganza II

>> If someone can explain to me how those are supposed to work, I'm all ears. Until then I'll stick with my spin balance machine. Seems like when
>> clothes are out of balance in spin cycle they don't shift and self balance but go to the most out of balanced side until the tilt switch is tripped.
> John,
>
> I actually can explain it. The beads or what ever want to roll, bounce, dance or whatall away from the excitement and drama to the lowest energy
> place they can find. (Remind you of some people you know?). When a rotating element is eccentric, the larger radius is the higher energy. So, the
> beads go down hill to the low energy area. When they get there, they stay put unless you give them a reason to move.
>
> Why doesn't this work in a washing machine?
> Well, it does until enough water drains out of the tub to loose the weight to the laundry. Since cloths don't flow, the imbalance remains.
>
> Would water do as well as the beads? Yes and no....
> When I worked in a development lab with a senior engineer that was genius level, he often came up with ideas. I had a tire that was out of balance
> and he came to my office and explained at great length why putting water in that tire would fix it. Of course, my question was,"If this is so easy,
> why doesn't every body do it?"
> Well, we did and I found the two reasons why not to use water.
>
> The immediate reason was that during testing, I hit a pothole. This is not hard to do in Michigan in the spring. I guess it splashed the water all
> over inside the tire and it was now profoundly out of balance. I actually had to stop the car both to exhale and let the water regroup. (Then I had
> to invent a way to get the water out of the tire.)
> A second issue was that some time later that wheel began a rim leak that got more serious fast. I had to dismount the tire (and dry the inside) then
> wire brush and paint the rim because it was badly corroded.
>
> So, all the beads or pellets have to go is go down hill and the plan works. Yes, I could write equations all over a blackboard to explain this, but I
> think if you understand going down the hill, you have most of it. What I kind of have to throw in here is the little fact that there really is no
> such thing as centrifugal force. The force you feel pulling on the string of a weight you are spinning is not actually pulling straight away from the
> center (your hand) it is merely the force required to keep the mass circling when it really wants to go in a straight line (away in a tangent to the
> circle the string is forcing on it). This is the true motive power to move the beads down the "hill".
>
> I hope this helps.
>
> Matt